In depth and mini reviews of movies with a sprinkling of nostalgia and film music musings.

Friday, September 1, 2017

Score Sample: Nerve (2016)

My love of film music spreads beyond the normal orchestral scores that I highlight on this blog regularly. Don't get me wrong, those make for my usual listening. But I do shake things up when a good jazzy score, or full electronic score comes around and catches my ear. Last year was a great one for electronic scores influenced by classic 1980s film scores composed by folks like Harold Faltermeyer or Tangerine Dream. I already highlighted the dark and retro score for The Neon Demon, which is well worth checking out if you enjoy this style.

The score to Nerve by Rob Simonsen falls along the same lines, but takes things in a more upbeat and fun way. It's got a bit more of a techno dance beat behind it, reminding me of some similar tracks from Daft Punk's work on Tron: Legacy. But Simonsen drops the Hans Zimmer inspired action cues and focuses on some excellent thematic tension and suspense cues. These are all done in that signature 80s style, and as I mentioned the score has motifs that reappear and change depending on the situation. It is a very accomplished work, and really addictive to listen to.

Here is a taste. The opening track entitled Game On composed by Rob Simonsen, from his very entertaining score to Nerve.

For a bonus, the same tune extended with lyrics performed by White Sea. The track is called Let's Play.

My wife read the novel and said it was a good summer read. I'm kind of curious to pick it up and give it a try. The movie got mixed reviews, but the sound track fans who like electronica really liked this score. Myself included. :)

I've not seen Nerve, but enjoy a lot of the synth music. I've got many Tangerine Dream albums as well as others: RDI (Radio Massacre International, Heldon, Brian Eno, etc). There are many different albums for different moods.

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About Me

I'm a writer who loves movies, books, video games and music. Wow, that's pretty generic eh? Been a staff writer for DVD Verdict.com and animeondvd.com. I worked at a video store for nearly 10 years. Still working on genre fiction both short and novel length.